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SIR WALTER -r'OTT 



SCOTT'S 
LADY OF THE LAKE 



ADAPTED AND SIMPLIFIED FOR 
USE IN SCHOOLS 



BY 



SARA D. JENKINS 

TEACHER OF ENGLISH, ITHACA, N. Y. 



EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY 

BOSTON 

New York Chicago San Francisco 



H 



>s 



THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copie» Received 

APR 8 1903 

(Copyright Entry 

CLASS *s XXo.No 

COPY A. 



<\ 03d. 



Copyrighted 

By EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY 

1903 



PREFACE. 



Because of the tendency to set " The Lady of the Lake" earlier iu 
the prescribed courses for English study, the present prose edition has 
been prepared. The book is intended to familiarize children in grades 
between the fifth and the eighth with the characters in the poem, to 
reveal the plot, and to trace the incidents that further plot. 

Pains has been taken to preserve, so far as possible, the vocabulary 
of the original text, to give a suggestion, if no more, of the great poet's 
power in vivid word picturing, and thus to prepare for the later inten- 
sive reading of the poem itself. This preparation will be welcomed by 
all teachers who expect to teach ninth year English, since the poem has 
been placed one year earlier in the New York Syllabus given for the five 
years following 1900. 

The book is offered to teachers and to superintendents as one of a 
graded series, and not as a supplementary reader. That children love to 
exercise their newly acquired power in the interpretation of symbols 
upon wholes, has been proven repeatedly, and never more conclusively 
than in the success of teachers in reading with children, "Black 
Beauty," or the little classic, " The Dog of Flanders,"* which precedes in 
the present series " The Prose Lady of the Lake." 

S. D. J. 
* Educational Publishing Company, Boston, Mass. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE, 



CHAPTER I. 



At the close of day and of the day's chase, a hunter, 
who had outstripped his companions, found himself 
alone, yet still following the stag amidst the Scottish 
scenery to be found in the lake and mountain region of 
Loch Lomond. With unbated zeal he pressed on. The 
jaded deer was in full view, and fast on its flying tracks 
were the hounds. Scarce a spear's length behind, and 
glorying in what seemed to be easy victory and noble 
prize, the hunter, expecting the animal to turn at bay, 
drew his whinyard ; but instead, his own exhausted horse 
stumbled and fell. The impatient rider strove in vain 
to rouse the noble beast that had fallen to rise no more. 
Touched with pity and remorse he exclaimed : 



8 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

" I little thought that the highland eagle should feed 
on thy fleet limbs, my matchless steed ! " 

" Woe worth the chase, woe worth the day, 
That cost thy life my gallant gray." 

At the sound of their master's horn resounding 
through the de)l, the hounds crest-fallen, returned to 
his side. The bewildered traveler could find no path- 
way leading from the glen. The mountain sides were 
bathed in purple, and each flinty spire of the cathedral- 
like cliffs was gilded with the rays of the setting sun ; 
but not a beam pierced the dark ravines. In the gather- 
ing night, the rocky summits took the form of turret, 
dome, or battlement ; of cupola, of minaret, of pagoda, 
or mosque. At their base clustered the hawthorn and 
eglantine, the fox-glove and night shade. Above hung 
the gray birch and the trembling aspen ; higher still 
were the ash and oak, and crowning all the pine tree 
stood. 

Climbing to the highest projecting rock, the stranger 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 9 

beheld spread before him Loch Katrine, one sheet of 
liquid gold, and the whole scene like a dream of fairy- 
land. High on the south was Benvenue, and on the 
north, Benan. Fearing to pass the night on the moun- 
tain, and knowing that he had enemies near, he twice 
wound his horn, hoping to recall some straggling friend 
of the morning's hunting train. Scarce had he blown 
the bugle note, when at the sound, there darted from a 
rocky island near a little skiff guided by a woman's 
hand Swiftly and gracefully the boat swept the wave 
until it touched the pebbly beach. The hunter stood 
concealed, viewing this lovely "Lady of the Lake," who 
paused to catch again the distant strain of the winding 

horn. 

Never was picture more enchanting. With head 
upraised, eye and ear intent, and lips apart, listening 
she stood like a guardian Naiad of the strand. Never 
did Greek chisel carve a nobler figure, or more beautiful 
face In every line of form and dress was displayed 
the chieftain's daughter; the silken plaid fastened with 



10 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

the rich brooch, the luxuriant ringlets bound by the 
satin snood, the warmly tinted cheeks glowing with life, 
the guileless dark eyes beaming with love. Impatient 
at the silence, "Father!" she cried; but echo alone 
answered the sweet sound. Less resolutely she called: 

" Malcolm, was thine the blast?" 

Scorning to remain longer in concealment, and advan- 
cing from the shade of the hazel copse, the huntsman 
said : 

" Fair lady, it was I, a stranger, who blew the blast 
you heard." 

The maid, alarmed, swiftly pushed her light shallop 
from the shore ; but when at a safe distance, she turned 
and glanced at the stranger. Reassured by the stately 
manner, the manly form, the courtly words, and honest 
eye, she listened to his words of explanation, and when 
he told of the unhappy ending of the day's chase, she 
replied : 

" Our highland hills are open still, 
To wildered wanderers of the hill." 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 11 

Nor are you unexpected at our island home. Last 
night, Allan-bane, the gray haired minstrel of our 
family, foretold your visit. He saw in a vision your 
dappled steed, dead beneath the birches ; he described 
your form and face, your suit of Lincoln green, your 
cap and sword, even the hounds at your side. He bade 
all be made ready to receive a guest of high degree. I 
scarcely believed him, and thought it was my father's 
horn echoing over the Lake." 

The stranger bowed low, at her invitation took a seat 
in the fairy frigate, and begged the privilege of playing 
the part of boatman. The hounds sprang into the 
water, and with heads erect and whimpering cry, they 
followed the flying shallop, until it rested once more on 
the beach of the rocky isle. When landed on the shore, 
the cruest was led to a rustic bower, framed by chieftain 
for hour of danger. It was an ample lodge, strongly 
built. Oak, ash, pine, heather, moss and clay, over- 
grown with clematis and ivy combined to make a struc- 
ture at once elegant and rude. 



12 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

At the doorway, the fair Ellen gaily to the stranger 
said: 

" On heaven and on thy lady call, 
And enter our enchanted hall." 

As together they crossed the threshold, an angry 
clashing of steel was heard. The startled visitor remained 
for a moment riveted to the spot, but blushed at his 
own needless alarm, when he saw the cause of the sound, 
— a naked sword fallen from its sheath. Together they 
entered a large hall, hung with trophies of the fight or 
chase ; the battle-axe, the hunting spear, the broadsword, 
the bow, the arrow hung from antlers of elk or deer ; the 
fur of otter, seal, wolf, wildcat, and bear, covering wall 
and floor, gave to the room an appearance of savage 
splendor. 

The wondering stranger gazed upon the rude and 
uncouth grandeur, then raising the fallen w r eapon, he 
said : 

" I never knew but oue whose arm could wield a 
weapon such as this." 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 13 

His fair companion sighing answered : 

" It is my father's sword. In his hand it is as light 
as a hazel wand in mine. He is now absent, and only 
aged servants and weak women guard the hall." 

At this moment a lady of mature years, but 
queenly manner, entered, and according to the custom of 
the time and country, welcomed the guest, though she 
knew neither his name nor his rank. The stranger, 
after the banquet given, according to the custom, alike 
to friend or foe, related the circumstances by which he 
was made their guest. 

Unasked, he announced himself the Knight of Snow- 
doun, James Fitz-James. Anxiously he hoped to learn 
the name of his fair hostess. That the ladies were nobly 
born and gently bred, no one who looked upon them 
could doubt, and the brave knight wondered to find such 
grace and beauty in so rude a home. The elder, Lady 
Margaret, mother of Roderick Dhu, and guardian to the 
motherless Lady Ellen Douglas, was silent upon all 
topics that might reveal their name or title. 



14 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Unwilling to offend so noble a guest, playfully the 
maiden fair replied to all inquiry : 

" Weird women we ! by dale and down, 
We dwell afar from tower and town ; 
We stem the floods, we ride the blast ; 
On wandering knights our spell we cast. 
While unseen minstrels touch the string 
' Tis thus our charmed rhymes we sing." 

Then she sang accompanied by an unseen harper : 

" Soldier, rest ! thy warfare o'er, 

Sleep the sleep that knows no breaking ; 
Dream of battle fields no more, 

Davs of danger, nights of waking. 
In our isle's enchanted hall, 

Hands unseen thy couch are strewing. 
Fairy strains of music fall, 

Every sense in slumber dewing. 

Soldier, rest ! thy warfare o'er. 
Dream of fighting; dreams no more : 
Sleep the sleep that knows no breaking, 
Morn of toil, nor night of waking. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 15 

" No rude sound shall reach thy ear, 

Armor's clang, or war steed champing, 
Trump or pibroch summon here 

Mustering clan, or squadron tramping. 
Yet the lark's shrill fife may come 

At the daybreak from the fallow, 
And the bittern sound his drum, 

Booming' from the sedgy shallow. 
Ruder sounds shall none be near, 

Guards nor warders challenge here. 

Pausing a moment, she concluded the song with lines 
improvised to suit the occasion. As the sweet music 
fell from the lovely lips, the brave knight was filled with 
a tender admiration. 

" Huntsman, rest ! thy chase is done, 
While our slumbrous spells assail ye, 
Dream not, with the rising sun, 
Bugles here shall sound reveille. 

Sleep ! the deer is in his den ; 

Sleep ! thy hound;; are by th?e lying; 



16 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Sleep ! nor dream in yonder glen 
How thy gallant steed lay dying. 

Huntsman, rest ! thy chase is done, 
Think not of the rising sun, 
For at dawning to assail ye, 
Here no bugles sound reveille." 

At the last note, the great hall was cleared, and the 
stranger was left to rest on his bed of heather, pulled 
fresh and fragrant from the moorland. In his broken 
sleep, images flitted through his dreams. Friends and 
foes, phantoms of the night, trouped through the weary 
brain and at length he thought himself walking with the 
fair Ellen in a grove ; but the vision changed and it 
seemed to be the iron gauntlet of a hated Douglas, grim 
and gray, that clasped his hand. Arising, he sought the 
midnight air, and walked in the moonlight, wondering 
why the fallen sword so resembled that of his bitter 
enemy ; and why the eyes of Ellen were those of 
the exiled Douglas. Soon, however, the fragrant balm 
of the forest, the perfume of the rose and broom cast 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 17 

their drowsy fragrance, and Scotland's weary king slept 
until morning dawned on royal guest and Benvenue. 

Later in the day, the knight took leave of his gentle 
hostess. A little bark carried him across the lake, while 
Allan-bane, the white-haired minstrel with strains of 
music, and " The Lady of the Lake," by her sweet 
adieu, sped the parting guest. The harper sang : 

" Not faster yonder rowers' might 
Flings from their oars the spray, 

Not faster yonder rippling bright, 

That tracks the shallop's course in light, 
Melts in the lake away, 

Than men from memory erase 

The benefits of former days ; 

Then, stranger, go ! good speed the while, 

Nor think again of lonely isle. 

" High place to thee in royal court, 
High place in battle line, 
Good hawk and hound for sylvan sport, 
Where beauty sees the brave resort, 



18 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

The honor'd meed be thine ! 
True be thy sword, thy friend sincere, 
Thy lady constant, kind, and dear, 
And lost in love and friendship's smile 
Be memory of the lonely isle. 

" But if beneath yon southern sky 

A plaided stranger roam, 
Whose drooping crest and stifled sigh, 
And sunken cheek and heavy eye, 

Pine for his Highland home ; 
Then, warrior, then be thine to show 
The care that soothes a wanderer's woe ; 
Remember then thy hap ere while, 
A stranger in the lonely isle. 

" Or if on life's uncertain main 
Mishap shall mar thy sail ; 
If faithful, wise and brave in vain, 
Woe, want, and exile thou sustain 

Beneath the fickle gale ; 
Waste not a sigh on fortune changed, 
On thankless courts, or friends < stranged, 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 19 

But come where kindred worth shall smile, 
To greet thee in the lonely isle." 

As the sounds died upon the wave, the shallop had 
reached the opposite side of the lake. The minstrel 
leaned against a blighted oak, and Ellen smiled to see 
Snowdoun's knight, from the other shore, cast one 
lingering look behind. The rose deepened on her cheek, 
as she gave the last salute. To the knightly heart the 
mute farewell carried a fatal message. From that 
moment, she was dearer to him than the fairest and 
noblest of his own proud court. 




KLLKN S ISLE, LOCH KATKIXK 



CHAPTER II. 

Wishing* to destroy the spell cast upon her, and to 
drive far away thoughts of any save her own absent and 
true love, Malcolm Gramme, she besought Allan-Bane 
to arouse from his moody dream and to pour forth a 
stream of music in honor of the noble name of Grseme. 
In vain the minstrel tried to draw from the harp a joyful 
strain, but the response was still a note of woe. In 
grief and pain Allan replied, " Dear Lady, the harp 
sounded thus when thy mother died, and again when 
thy father, the noble Douglas was exiled. Now 1 fear 
these wails of woe mean aught but good to thee and to 
thy father." Ellen answered : 

" These are but the fears of age ; there is little 
ground for alarm now. We are safe though in hiding ; 
we are happy though in exile. My father is a Douglas 
great in virtue, though deprived of lands and lordship. 
For myself, I can scarce recall those departed, splendid 

21 



22 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

days ; I am as proud of this mountain flower worn in 
my hair as of a coronet/' 

Her smile, her speech, her winsome way, beguiled the 
old harper to a happier mood, yet he continued : 

" My lady, loveliest and best, little thou knowest 
the rank and honor lost by thy father's exile. Thy 
place should be in Stirling's Court, thy father's at the 
side of Scotland's king. All rank, all honor, should be 
thine and his." 

" Fair dreams are these," Ellen cried, not without a 
shade of sadness, " but to me this mossy rock is dearer 
than royal chair and canopy. My step would not more 
gladly tread the courtly dance, than now it springs on 
green sward and by the mountain side ; and as for 
suitors, does not Roderick Dim, Clan Alpine's pride, 
own the sway of my conquering eye ? " 

The old bard raised his hand as if to repress her 
mirth, while he cried : 

" It is an ill theme thou hast chosen for a jest. 
None ever yet named with a smile Roderick, the outlaw. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 23 

Child, thy mood restrain ! It is too true that thou 
mightest lead this lion, black Roderick, by a silken 
thread, but it is also true that thy father owes to him 
almost life, and thy present safety. Disowned by every 
man of his own rank, the noble Douglas is under the 
deepest debt to this marauding chief, who looks for his 
reward in thy hand." 

" Minstrel," the maid replied, while all the spirit of a 
Douglas flashed from her eye, " my debts to the house 
of Roderick, well I know. His mother, Lady Margaret, 
has given me more than a mother's care, and all of a 
mother's love, since the day her sister died and left me 
motherless. To Sir Roderick, who shields my father 
from the anger of Scotland's King, I owe a deeper, a 
holier debt, and I would gladly repay it with my blood, 
my life, — but never with my hand. I would rather 
rove an outcast and a beggar, than wed the man I can- 
not love." She paused a moment and added : 

" I do not deny that he is brave and generous, that 
he is true to his friends and liberal to his clan ; though 



24 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

he has fought for my father, I cannot clasp the hand 
that is red with the blood of slaughtered peasantry. I 
shudder at his frown, and if a Douglas could know fear, 
I should tremble at his smile. Let us change so unpleas- 
ant a theme. What do you think of our stranger 
guest? " 

" What think I of him ? I would he had never set 
foot on rocky isle. At his approach, your father's battle 
sword leaped from its scabbard. That alone would 
prove him a secret enemy. He may be a spy, he may 
be a foe ; but if neither, what will the jealous Roderick 
say when he learns a courtly guest has been harbored 
here ? Do you remember his anger when once you led 
the dance with Malcolm Graeme ? But hark ! What 
sounds are these ? " 

Far up the lake were four barges, fully manned 
and bearing towards the lonely isle. As they approached 
nearer, the banner of Clan Alpine was seen. Pikes, 
spears, and battle-axes flashed in air. The pibroch was 
heard louder and louder. The war-pipe ceased, but 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 25 

lake and hill took up the echo, and a hundred clansmen 
in praise of their chieftain burst forth in a Boat Song. 

" Hail to the Chief who in triumph advances ! 
Honor'd and bless'd be the ever-green Pine ! 
Long may the tree, in his banner that glances, 
Flourish, the shelter and grace of our line ! 
Heaven send it happy dew, 
Earth lend it sap anew, 
Gaily to blossom, and broadly to grow, 
While every highland glen 
Sends our shout back again, 
' Roderigh Vich Alpine dhu, ho ! ieroe ! ' 

Ours is no sapling, chance-sown by the fountain, 

Blooming at Beltane, in winter to fade. 
When the whirlwind has stripp'd every leaf on the 
mountain, 
The more shall Clan Alpine exult in her shade 
Moor'd in the rifted rock, 
Proof to the tempest's shock, 
Firmer he roots him the ruder it blow ; 
Menteith and Breadalbane, then, 



26 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Echo his praise again, 
k Roderigh Vich Alpine dhu, ho ! ieroe ! ' " 

Roderick's mother, Lady Margaret, followed by her 
train of maids, joyfully sought the strand, and called 
Ellen to come and wreathe the victor's brow. The 
maiden was about to obey reluctantly, when a distant 
bugle was heard, and turning quickly aside she said, 
" I hear my father's signal blast, and mine must be the 
skiff to bring him to the island." Swift as a sunbeam 
she sprang into her little boat, and the island was left 
far behind her. She was soon folded in a father's 
embrace, and sweet words of welcome fell from the 
daughter's lips ; but another was there, — standing aloof 
was Malcolm Graeme. The Douglas kindly placed his 
hand on Malcolm's shoulder, saying : 

" Forgive, my lad, a father's weakness, but the love 
of a child, or the tear of a friend, is more to me than 
the homage of lords and knights." 

To hide the joy at meeting father and lover, at hear- 
ing dear words of praise from fond lips, Ellen turned to 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 27 

hawk and hound. Well might the lover steal secret 
glances, as, modest and beautiful, she stood caressed by 
the hounds and trusted by the hawk. 

Tall and slender, in belted plaid and tartan hose, 
there was never more graceful youth than Malcolm 
Graeme. With a nature ardent, frank, and kind, a love 
for truth, contempt and scorn for the wrong, written on 
every feature, he gave promise of a noble manhood. 

" Father dear," exclaimed Ellen, " why have you 
roved so far, and why so late returned ? Sadly in this 
absence we have missed you.' 

" My child, the chase is my only solace, my only 
diversion, bereft of that I should be lonely indeed. I 
met young Malcolm, as I strayed far eastward, and well 
it was ; for royal hunters and horsemen surrounded me 
on every side, and this noble youth, though a royal 
ward, risked life and lands to guard me safe through 
the mountain passes. Roderick shall welcome him, 
despite their old feud." 

At this moment, the chieftain of Clan Alpine came 



28 THE LADY OF THE LARE. 

to greet the Douglas and his fair daughter. A flush of 
anger overspread the dark brow of the outlaw on seeing 
Malcolm Graeme, whom, nevertheless, he greeted with 
courtesy. In conversation and games the summer 
morning passed. 

At noon a courier in haste arrived and held a secret 
conference with the chieftain. That evil tidings had 
been brought to Roderick was evident, and in deep 
thought he passed the hour until all assembled for the 
evening meal. Ill at ease he entered the hall, playing 
with his dagger's hilt ; then raising his eyes from the 
ground he said : 

" The tyrant of the Scottish throne, faithless and 
ruthless, boasts that he has subdued the borderside ; 
his vindictive pride is leading him here. He pleads 
that he comes for hunt or chase, but well it is known 
that no border chieftain whom he meets in his path will 
be safe. Further, his men, his followers, if not he him- 
self, know of the hiding place of the Douglas." 

At these words, the eye of the mother met those 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 29 

of the maid, and pale with fear, Ellen turned to her 
father, while the mother sought the side of her son. The 
color fled from Malcolm's face. The noble Douglas 
sorrowful, yet undismayed, rose and said : 

" Brave Roderick, if this be true, not one hour shall 
Douglas or his daughter remain to draw the lightning' 
wrath of the king- upon thine abode. The royal thun- 
der-bolt will soonest fall where rests this gray head. 
Poor remnants of the " Bleeding* Heart," with Ellen, 
my child, I will seek refuge in some forest cell, and 
there, like the hunted deer, we will hide until pursuit is 
passed." 

" No, by mine honor ; while herein I and my good 
sword remain, you shall not go defenceless from my 
door. Hear my blunt speech : grant me Ellen, thy 
daughter, in marriage, and give me your aid in war. A 
Douglas leagued with Roderick Dhu, will draw allies 
from every part of Scotland. When the Scotch pipes 
shall tell our bridal day, terror will seize upon the lord 
of Stirling Castle. Our nuptial torch shall set on fire a 



30 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

thousand villages, and send sleep from the eyes of bold 
King- James. ' 

Ellen at his words, dazed, faint, trembling with fear, 
felt that a yawning abyss opened at her feet ; but fearing 
for her father, she was ready to purchase his safety with 
her own happiness. 

Douglas and Malcolm saw in her face the strife 
between love and duty, shown in the quivering lip and 
eye, in the color changing as if from life to death. 
Then the father cried : 

"Enough, Roderick, enough! My daughter cannot 
be thy bride. Forgive me chief, but you must risk 
nothing for us. A Douglas will never lift a spear 
against the king of Scotland. It was I who taught 
his childish hands to rein his horse, to wield his 
sword. To his mother I was bound in holy wedlock, and 
not more dear is mv daughter Ellen now, than once was 
he. I love him still, — despite my wrongs." 

The chieftain of Clan Alpine strode through the hall, 
with darkened brow and wounded pride. Rage and dis- 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 31 

appointment gave way to the bitterest anguish. It was 
the death pang of a long cherished love and hope. As 
Ellen rose to escape the despairing look of the son, and 
the convulsive sobs of the mother, Malcolm sprang to 
her side to aid her f alter i no- stens. 

Roderick, fierce with jealousy, leaped toward them, 
exclaiming : 

" Back, beardless boy ! Back, minion ! To Douglas 
and to that fair maid you owe your welcome under this 
roof." 

Like a greyhound, Malcolm closed with his foe. The 
hand of each gripped at the dagger and the sword. 
Death had ended the attack, had not Douglas with his 
giant strength thrust himself between the struggling 
foes. 

" Chieftains, forego ! Madmen, forbear your frantic 
strife ! Do you forget that it is for the hand of the 
daughter of a Douglas that you are engaged in this dis- 
honorable broil ? Is the family of James of Bothwell 
fallen so low ? " 



32 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Struck with shame, they unclasped the desperate hold. 
Roderick plunged his sword in its sheath and cried to 
his henchman : 

" Malise, ho ! Conduct this Gramme safe from the 
Rocky Isle. Pity it is that so soft a beardless cheek 
should be exposed to the midnight air ; but go to your 
guardian, James the King, and tell him Roderick defies 
him on lake and on fell." 

Young Malcolm, calm and bold, answered : 

" The spot graced by Lady Ellen Douglas is safe and 
sacred, even though it be the haunt of a robber and 
highwayman. Reserve your churlish courtesy and safe 
conduct for those who fear to be your foe. These 
mountain passes are as safe to me at midnight as at 
noonday. Brave Douglas, lovely Ellen, — naught here 
will I say. We shall meet again. Chieftain, we too 
shall find an hour ! " 

Old Allan, at the command of Douglas, followed the 
youth to the lakeside. Here Malcolm rolled his dirk 
and pouch in his ample plaid, fastened them high on his 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 33 

shoulders, safe from the dark water, and took leave of the 
minstrel saying, " Tell Roderick Dim, I owe him not the 
poor service of a boat to carry me to yonder mountain 
side." Then stripped for the venture, he plunged into 
the tide, keeping his head high above the water In the 
moonlight, Allan watched the form rising and falling, 
skimming the stream swift as a bird. When landed on 
the shore, he gave the loud " Halloo " to tell of his safe 
arrival. 



CHAPTER III. 

On the morning following the midnight departure of 
Malcom Graeme from the rocky island, Roderick Dim 
declared open warfare upon Scotland's King. At break 
of day, he paced the strand and watched the rising sun. 
The summer's dawn had changed the blue of Loch 
Katrine to amethyst. 

" Mildly and soft the western breeze 
Just kissed the lake, just stirred the trees, 
And the pleased lake like maiden coy 
Trembled, and dimpled, but not with joy. 
The water-lily to the light 
Her chalice reared of silver bright; 
The doe awoke and to the lawn 
Begemmed with dew-drops led the fawn. 
The black-bird and the speckled thrush 
Goodmorrow gave from every bush ; 
In answer coo'd the Cushat dove 
Her notes of peace, and rest, and love." 

35 



36 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

No thought of peace, however, no thought of rest, 
dwelt in the heart of Roderick Dim. War had been 
declared, and he thirsted for Saxon blood. With 
sheathed sword in hand, he paced the border of the 
lake, at the rock of Benharrow, awaiting the ritual 
which attended the preparation of the Cross of Fire, 
the Highland emblem fraught with deep and deathly 
meaning. Brian, a barefoot hermit priest, clad in gown 
and hood, stood near. At his side were parts of the 
oak from which the Cross had been framed. 

With outstretched naked hand and arm, he held the 
slender, divine symbol on high. Even the vassals of 
Roderick shuddered as they looked upon the savage 
face and form, less like Christ's priest, than like a Druid 
released from the grave. The pile of fagots was 
ready to be fired ; the goat to be offered in sacrifice was 
led forth ; and Roderick Dim's blade was drenched in 
its life blood. The Cross was still grasped in the 
clenched hand of Brian, while anathemas were poured 
forth upon him who should see this symbol and not 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 37 

hasten to join the gathering clans in dread warfare. 
While the priest paused, the waiting vassals stepped 
forward, brandished their swords in air, struck their 
clattering targes, and raised loud and hoarse, the cry : 

" Woe to the traitor, woe ! " 

A thousand echoes of the dreadful words were heard 
from the mountain, lake, and fell. Brian, more demon 
than priest, still hissing curses through his set teeth, 
now scathed the Cross in lire, and shook its flaming 
points above the crowd, while the peasant women and 
children sang; : 

" Sunk traitor's home in embers red, 
And cursed be the meanest shed, 
That e'er shall hide the houseless head 
We doom to want and woe ! " 

The hermit now dipped the Crosslet's points of burn- 
ing wood in the blood of the dying goat, and muttered : 

" As this flame is quenched in the gore of the slain 
goat, may destruction quench the life of all who refuse 
to follow this Cross of Fire." 



38 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

The part taken by the hermit in the ritual being 
ended, the Chieftain impatiently seized the emblem, 
placed it in the hand of his henchman and cried : 

" Speed, Malise, speed ! 
The muster-place is Lanrick Mead, 
The time is now ! " 

Never did roebuck bound on fleeter foot up the steep 
braes, over false morass and trembling' bog, across brook, 
and through brake. The crag might be high, the scaur 
might be deep, yet Malise shrank not from the desperate 
leap which must carry him to the farther side. With 
parched lip and burning brow, he kept his flying pace, 
carrying tidings of danger, war, and death. 

Fast as the fatal symbol flew, the tenants of hamlet, 
hut, glen, and upland, poured a steady stream to Lan- 
rick Mead. The fisherman forsook the stream ; the 
hunter left the stag at bay ; the swarthy smith seized 
dirk and brand ; the mower left the scythe in the swath ; 
the plough stood still in the furrow ; the herd lowed in 
the field. Each son of Clan Alpine rushed to arms. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 39 

Malise reached Duncraggin's hut, and stood at the 
door of Duncan, who must now speed on the signal. 
He burst into the hall of him who, in the battle and 
the chase, had always stood at the side of Roderick. But 
what awful accents are heard ! It is the funeral wail of 
women, and Duncan lies on his lowly bier. His widow, 
his son, the village maids and matrons, sound the dismal 
coronach. 

" He is gone on the mountain. 

He is lost to the forest, 
Like a summer-dried fountain, 

When our need was the sorest. 
The font, reappearing, 

From the rain-drops shall borrow, 
But to us comes no cheering, 

To Duncan no morrow ! 

The hand of the reaper 

Takes the ears that are hoary, 

But the voice of the weeper 
Wails manhood in glory. 

The autumn winds rushing 



40 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Waft the leaves that are searest, 
But our flower was in flushing, 
When blighting was nearest. 

Fleet foot on the correi, 

Sage counsel in cumber, 
Ked hand in the foray, 

How sound is thy slumber ! 
Like the dew on the mountain, 

Like the foam on the river, 
Like the bubble on the fountain, 

Thou art gone, and forever ! " 

Malise hesitated but a moment, then, unheeding all, 
thrust the blood besmeared Cross into the hand of the 
stripling Angus, and cried : 

" The muster place is Lanrick Mead, 
Speed, clansmen, speed ! " 

Up sprang the heir of Duncan's line, seized his 
father's dirk and broad-sword, flew to his mother's 
side for a last embrace, and pressed on her lips a fond 
adieu. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 41 

" Alas ! " she sobbed, — " and yet, begone, 
And speed thee forth, like Duncan's son. ,, 

The lad cast one look upon the loved form of the 
dead father, dashed aside the tear, tossed on his bonnet 
and fled, over moor and moss. As soon as the flying 
footsteps were heard no more, the true mother gave way 
to the grief and to the tears a borrowed force had stayed. 

On sped young Angus, until he reached the Teith 
side. The stream was swollen, and the bridge far away. 
The brave youth paused not, but dashed into the dark 
waters. The torrent roared, and twice the stripling- 
stumbled where, had he fallen, Duncraggin's orphan had 
never risen. Firmer he grasped the Cross, until the 
opposite bank was gained. 

Dripping with the flood, and fainting from fatigue, he 
met the bridal train of young Norman of Armandave. 
The bride, the lovely Mary, saw the fatal sign thrust 
into the hand just joined to hers in holy bond. Oh 
fatal doom ! She knows that Clan Alpine's cause is 
every man's trust. She heard the words : 



42 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

" Speed, Norman, speed, 
The muster place is Landrick Mead." 

Quickly Norman laid his plaid aside, and not trusting 
himself to glance into the eyes so dear, dashed away, 
hoping to return with the red honors of war on his 
crest. High resolve and strong feeling burst into song. 

Song. 

" The heath this night must be my bed, 
The bracken curtain for my head, 
My lullaby the warder's tread, 

Far, far, from love and thee, Mary ; 
To-morrow eve, more stilly laid, 
My couch may be my bloody plaid, 
My vesper song, thy wail, sweet maid ! 

It will not waken me, Mary ! 

I cannot, dare not, rancy now 

The grief that clouds thy lovely brow, 

I dare not think upon thy vow, 

And all it promised me, Mary. 
No fond regret must Norman know ; 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 43 

When bursts Clan Alpine on the foe, 
His heart must be like bended bow, 
His foot like arrow free, Mary. 

A time will come with feeling- fraught, 
For, if I fall in battle fought, 
Thy hapless lover's dying thought 

Shall be a thought on thee, Mary. 
And if return'd from conquer' d foes, 
How blithely will the evening close, 
How sweet the linnet sing repose, 

To my young bride and me, Mary ! " 

At the muster place were met men of all ages and 
ranks, from the gray sire whose trembling hand could 
scarce buckle on his sword, to the young lad whose shaft- 
was yet unable to terrify the birds of the mountain. 
Each valley, each glen, had sent forth all but the babes 
and the women. The human streams united at Lanrick 
Mead, all prompt for war, all trained to arms since life 
began ; they met by no law, no oath, bound only by 
Clansmen's tie, and the command of Roderick Dhu. 



CHAPTER IV. 

The morning after the departure of Malcolm Graeme 
from the home of Roderick, Douglas, true to his promise, 
left Lonely Isle, to hide with his daughter, the fair Ellen, 
in a dark and lonely grotto in Benvenue, known as the 
Goblin's Cave. Here they could find safety, for super- 
stition had long prevented the foot of man from enter- 
ing its shades. It was a wild and weird retreat, 
yawning upon the mountain side, like a scar on the 
breast of a warrior, and the roar of the water from the 
lake when lashed into fury was the only sound to be 
heard. In such a cove a wolf might first see the light 
of day ; in such a spot the wild cat might bear its 
young ; yet here Douglas, the lovely Ellen, and the 
minstrel gray, for the time must seek safety. 

At evening as the shadows lengthened, Roderick with 
a few trusted men passed above the Goblin's Cave, on 

45 



46 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

his way to place his clansmen as guards at the mountain 
passes. A single page walked beside him bearing his 
sword ; the others had passed on and were awaiting him 
at the point of meeting. It was an unwonted sight to 
see Clan Alpine's chief in the rear of his men, but with 
reluctant step he now lingered on the mountain side 
near the obscure hiding place of Douglas. Roderick 
had sworn to drown in the blood of the battle-field his 
love for Ellen. 

"But he who stems a stream with sand, 
And fetters flame with flaxen band, 
Has yet a harder task to prove, — 
By firm resolve to conquer love." 

Evening found the chief restlessly haunting the 
hiding-place of his lost treasure. Listening, he heard 
accompanied by the harp of Allan-bane, the sweet 
melting voice of Ellen chanting a hymn to the Virgin. 

" Ave Maria ! maiden mild ! 

Listen to a maiden's prayer ! 
Thou canst hear though from the wild, 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 47 

Thou canst save amid despair. 

Safe we sleep beneath thy care, 
Though banish'd, outcast, and reviled — 

Maiden ! hear a maiden's prayer ; 
Mother, hear a suppliant child ! 
Ave Maria ! 

Ave Maria ! un defiled ! 

The flinty couch we now must share, 
Shall seem with down of eider piled, 

If thy protection hover there. 

The murky cavern's heavy air 
Shall breathe a balm if thou hast smiled; 

Then, Maiden ! hear a maiden's prayer ! 
Mother list to suppliant child ! 
Ave Maria ! 

Ave Maria ! stainless styled ! 

Foul demons of the earth and air, 
From this their wonted haunt exiled, 

Shall flee before thy presence fair. 

We bow us to our lot of care, 
Beneath thy guidance reconciled ; 



AS THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Hear for a maid a maiden's prayer, 
And for a father hear a child ! 
Ave Maria ! " 

The sound of harp and hymn died together, yet Clan 
Alpine's lord remained motionless, until the page pointed 
to the declining sun. Then casting his plaid about face 
and limb, he muttered : 

" Never again shall I hear that angel voice." 

Down the mountain side he strode, and eastward bent 
his hasty way to the height above Lanrick Mead. The 
camping ground made a weird picture. Some of the 
clansmen sat, some slowly moved about, and many 
wrapped in tartan, rested on the ground. The points of 
the spears glowed in the gathering shade, and when high 
upon the mountain side the Chieftain's plume was seen, 
a shout of welcome, wild and shrill, went up from lake 
and fell. Three times it was echoed from the rocky 
wall, then darkness gathered and silence reigned in the 
camp. 

Young Norman of Armandave standing sentinel in a 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 49 

pass between the lake and the wood heard a step. 
Instantly he sprang to the axe and bow, that lay near 
him, exclaiming : 

" Stand or die ! " 

Then seeing Malise, his friend and clansman, approach- 
ing, he changed his tone and manner, and inquired : 

" What tidings dost thou bring of the foe ? " 

Without replying to the query, eagerly the henchman 
asked : 

" Where sleeps the Chief ? " 

" Apart, in yonder misty glade ; I will guide thee to 
him." Then calling Glentarkin to take the place of 
sentinel, together they hastened up the pass. 

"What of the foeman?" again Norman anxiously asked. 

" Reports vary, but it is certain that for two days an 
army has been ready to march upon us. The king him- 
self, however, is not with his soldiers. He is holding a 
princely revelry at Stirling Castle. We must expect the 
battle soon. Warriors may bear it, but what will 
become of the unprotected women and children ? " 



50 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

" Roderick has caused all aged men, all maids and 
matrons, mothers and children to repair to the Lonely 
Isle ? All boats, all shallops have been removed that 
there may be neither entrance to their safe abode, nor 
egress from it." 

u A plan well-advised, and worthy the man who is 
leader of the noble tribe of Clan Alpine. But why does 
our chief rest apart from his followers ? " 

" Last night Brian the hermit consulted an oracle, 
only approached in time of greatest extremity. A snow- 
white bull was slain, and within its reeking hide the 
hermit was wrapped and placed on the rocky cliff called 
the Hero's Targe. There he spent the night, and 
Roderick rested near. The wizard in his orewsome robe 
awaited the prophetic words which should foretell the 
events of war." 

" Hark ! see ! the hermit joins Roderick." 

Silence fell upon the two young men, while the her- 
mit held solemn converse with Alpine's lord. 

" This has been a fearful night. For you, Roderick, I 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. ;, | 

have borne the harrowing- anguish of seeing the curtain 
of the future world unfurled. The shapes that sought 
my awful couch may never be described by human 
tongue. No man, truly mortal, had survived to say he 
saw the scene which I beheld, before the blazing* scroll 
was revealed to my sunken eyeballs. The fateful answer 
branded on my soul is in the following words : 

" Which spills the foremost foeman's life, 
That party conquers in the strife." 

" Thanks, Brian, for thy zeal and care. The augury 
is good. In battle the sword of Clan Alpine has always 
tasted first the blood of the foe. Further, a sure victim 
has offered himself to the auspicious blow. A spy in 
the disguise of a hunter is near us, appearing upon 
my land this morning ; but the evening is distant that 
shall witness his return. My followers guard even 
pass. Red Murdock, who has been bribed to be his 
guide, will lead him into some deep path where will 
be those to bring the intruder, though it be the king 



52 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

himself, to death. Ha! Malise, what tidings of the 
foe ? " 

" At Donne, my liege, I saw two nobles bearing their 
banners, with many a spear and glaive. One wore the 
silver star of Moray ; the other was the Earl of Mar." 

" High tidings these, good Malise ; I love to hear of 
worthy foes. When move they upon ns ? " 

" To-morrow's noon will see them here prepared for 
battle." 

" Then shall it see a stern meeting. Didst thou hear 
aught of the friendly clans of Earn ? Strengthened by 
them, we well might meet the foe on Benledi's side. If 
not, Clan Alpine's hosts shall man the Trosachs, and 
will fight in the gorge of Loch Katrine, in the sight of 
the helpless maids and matrons. Each will fight for his 
house and hearth, father for child, son for sire, lover for 
maid ! " 

Turning aside, Roderick to himself said : 

" Is it the breeze that dims mine eye, or is it an ill- 
omened tear, a messenger of doubt and defeat ? No ! 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 58 

Terror cannot pierce the heart of Vich Alpine. It is as 
sturdy as his trusted targe/' 

Instantly he sprang" among his men, exclaiming : 
iw Each to his post ! All know their charge.'' 
Obedient to the chieftain, the pibroch sounded, the 
bands advanced, the broadswords gleamed, and the ban- 
ners fluttered in the breeze. 



CHAPTER V. 

Morning" rose on the cave in the side of the moun- 
tain, where Ellen, unattended except by the aged harper, 
sat by the old gray stone. Sad was the heart of the 
young girl in this hour of peril. Douglas had gone, the 
loving daughter feared, but knew not whither. 

Allan strove in vain to quiet her alarm, and to comfort 
her by words of cheer concerning the speedy return of 
so devoted a father, who, he assured her, had gone to 
prepare a safe abode for them all. Sadly she replied : 

" No, Allan, no ! my father gave me his parting bless- 
ing, in words and tones unmistakable. The tear stood in 
his eye, — in the eye of Douglas, when he said : 

" ' If not on earth we meet in heaven.' Why, if he is 
to return, did he bid me hasten to the protection of the 
convent of Kenneth-Cambus ? I am sure he has gone 
to Scotland's King, to purchase with his own life the 
liberty of Malcolm Graeme." 

55 



56 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

" Dear lady, change that look of woe, or you will 
break the heart of him who would serve you. List to 
my harp." 

" I will listen, but forbid me not the relief of tears.'' 

Song. 

" Merry it is in the good greenwood, 

When the mavis and merle are singing, 
When the deer sweeps by and the hounds are in cry, 
And the hunter's horn is ringing. 

Tis merry, 'tis merry, in good greenwood, 

So blithe Lady Alice is singing ; 
On the beech's pride, and on oak's brown side, 

Lord Richard's axe is ringing. 

Why sounds yon stroke on beech and oak ; 

Our moonlight circles screen ? 
Or who comes here to chase the deer, 

Beloved of our Elfin Queen ? 

'Tis merry, 'tis merry, in good greenwood, 
Though the birds have stilled their singing ; 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 57 

The evening blaze doth Alice raise, 
And Richard is fagots bringing. 

Tis merry, 'tis merry in fairy land, 

When lively birds are singing, 
When the court doth ride by their monarch's side 

With bit and bridle ringing. 

Merry it is in good greenwood, 

When the mavis and merle are singing, 

But merrier they in Dunfermlin gray, 
When all the bells were ringing.' 






As the minstrel ceased, a stranger clad in a 
hunting suit of Lincoln green was seen climbing the 
steep mountain side. His martial step, his stately 
manner, his eagle glance, called to mind the visitor at 
Lonely Isle, — James Fitz-James. 

Ellen, as in a dream, saw the knight approach, then 
starting from her seat exclaimed, " stranger ! in this 
hour of terror, what dire misfortune to you or to me 
has brought you here ? " 



58 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

" It can be no dire misfortune, gentle lady, that 
permits me to look once more upon so fair a face. My 
former guide has brought me safe over the mountain 
pass, over bank and over bourne. It was a charmed 
way, for it has led me to the Lady Ellen." 

" A charmed path indeed ! Said he naught of war, 
of battle, of guarded pass ? Nothing of the gathered 
tribes of Roderick Dhu? " 

" No ; and, by my faith, I saw nothing that por- 
tended danger." 

Turning to Allan, Ellen exclaimed : 

" Allan ! hasten to the guide ; I see he wears the 
tartans of Roderick's clan. Learn from him his purpose 
and bind him to solemn promise of safe guidance for 
Snowdoun's Knight. Why, oh ! rash but noble guest, 
have you dared to take this wild chance?" 

" Sweet and dear must be the life for which, lovely 
lady, you show such deep concern ; yet I have ever held 
life but an idle gift, when weighed with love or honor. 
Let me then speak my purpose at once. I came to bear 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 59 

vou far from this wild and dangerous spot. No flower 
so fair can live in land so rude. By this hand, I wish 
to lead you from these scenes of strife and war. My 
strong" black steed waits near, with a snow white palfrey 
for you ; they will bear us safe to the gates of Stirling- 
Castle. There 1 will place you in the lovely bower you 
were born to grace, care for you most tenderly, and 
defend your honor by giving you my name." 

" Speak not thus, Sir Knight ! It would he infamy 
to wed with me. My father is the Douglas, an outlaw ; 
a price is set by the king upon his head." We are out- 
lawed, exiles, under ban ! Nay — speak not James Fitz- 
J am es — I must tell thee all. There is a noble youth, — 
if yet he live, — exposed to death for me and mine ! Him 
alone, I love. Now thou bast all the secrets of my heart, 

forgive, be generous, and leave me to my hopeless 

love and helpless misery. 

Fitz-James read truth and determination in every 
word and every gesture He knew it were only to give 
idle pain and to lose valuable time to stay longer. 



60 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Before him Ellen stood, her mantling cheek telling the 
effort it had cost to disclose her love for another, and to 
make known her father's peril. Hope vanished from 
Fitz James's eye ; sympathy took its place, and he offered 
to guide her to a place of safety as would a brother. 
To this Ellen replied : 

" Oh ! little thou knowest the heart of Roderick Dim. 
Haste thee and learn from Allan whether thou mayest 
trust thy guide." 

With his hand upon his forehead as if to quiet the 
conflict, he rose to depart, then turning, he paused, 
and said : 

" Dear lady, yet a parting word. The life of Scot- 
land's king was once preserved by my sword. In return 
the monarch gave me this ring, and bade me demand 
what I wished at any time, saying if the request were 
accompanied by this signet, all would be granted. 
Ellen, the ring is thine, — let me place it on the fair 
hand ; it shall secure thy way. Each guard, each usher 
knows the sign. Since thou wilt not fly with me, seek 



THE LADY OP THE LAKE. 61 

thou the king without delay, and with him plead the 
cause of father and of lover. On her finger he placed 
the circlet, paused, kissed the hand, and was gone." 

The aged minstrel stood aghast, watching the stranger, 
whom he well knew to be King James, join the guide, 
and hastily disappear down the mountain side. 



CHAPTER VI. 

As Fitz James, or the king, passed with his guide 
through the Trosachs, all was quiet. " Noontide was 
sleeping on the hill," when suddenly the guide whooped 

loud and long. 

" Murdoch," exclaimed the knight, " was that a signal 



cry? 



The ffuide stammered, " I shout to scare the ravens 
from their dainty fare." 

Too well the knight of Snowdoun knew the raven's 
prey, — it was his own gallant steed. 

"Murdoch," he said, "move in advance,— but 
silently. Whistle or whoop again, and thou shalt die ! " 

Sullenly they walked on, each upon his guard. 

As the path led now here, now there, they saw stand- 
ing by a cliff, a worn and wasted woman clad in tattered 
widow's weeds. Her brow was bound with gaudy 



04 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

broom, and with wild gestures she waved a plume of 
feathers from the wing" of an eagle. Her restless look 
was fixed upon the wood, the rock, the sky, but when her 
eyes fell upon the Lowland dress of Snowdoun's Knight 
she shrieked till all the rocks replied. She wept, she 
wrung her hands, and then wildly sang : 

Song. 

" They bid me sleep, they bid me pray, 

They say my brain is warped and wrung; 
I cannot sleep on Highland brae, 

I cannot pray in Highland tongue. 
But were I now where Allan glides, 
Or heard my native Devan tides, 
So sweetly would I rest and pray 
That heaven would close my wintry day ; 
'Twas thus my hair they bid me braid, 

They made me to the church repair, 
It was my bridal morn they said, 

And my true love would meet me there. 
But woe betide the cruel guile 
That drowned in blood the morning smile ! " 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 65 

" Who is this woman and what is the meaning of this 

wild song ? " 

" It is Blanche of Devan," replied Murdoch, " a 
crazed, Lowland maid, taken captive on the morn she 
was married. The bridegroom made resistance and 
Roderick Dim, her captor, slew him before the eyes of the 
bride. Hence, yon brain-sick fool." Murdoch raised his 
bow. 

" Stop ! " exclaimed Fitz James. If you strike her, I 
will pitch you from these cliffs." 

" Thanks, my noble lord, thanks," exclaimed the 
maniac ; " I love to turn once more my poor sad eyes 
upon the Lowland dress, and to hear the Lowland tongue, 
for 1 am a Lowland lass." Again she sang : 
" The toils are pitched, and the stakes are set, 
Ever sing merrily, merrily ; 
The bows they bend, and the knives they whet, 
Hunters live so cheerily." 

Fitz James's mind was passion-tossed. Blanche in her 
song hinted at fears, which suspicion of Murdoch con- 



66 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

firmed. Was he being- lured to death by a treacherous 
guide ? 

He strode to the side of Murdoch, waved his sword 
on high and exclaimed : 

" Disclose thy treachery, or die ! " 

Murdoch sprang away like a deer, but in his race 
drew his bow and aimed it at the breast of the knig-ht. 
The shaft missed its intended victim, and fell buried in 
the heart of Blanche. But he who would flee from 
Snowdoun's knight would need fleeter foot than is given 
anv of the Clan of Alpine. With heart of fire and foot 
of wind, the fierce avenger gained upon the fleeing 
knave. The fiery Saxon gained at each bound, and 
with his sword pinned the treacherous wretch to the 
earth. With foot and hand, he drew the sword from the 
villain's dying body, and then turned to the poor bleed- 
ing girl, wdiose death was near. 

She sat upright, and had drawn the fatal shaft from 
her breast. The knight vainly sought to stay the flow 
of blood. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 67 

" Stranger, it is vain," said the dying girl. " This 
hour of death has given me my reason, and will restore 
me to the lover who years ago was murdered before mine 
eyes. Take this little tress of yellow hair and swear to 
me by thy knighthood's honored sign, and by my life 
which has preserved yours, that when you meet him who 
boasts himself Chief of Alpine's Clan, that you will 
avenge the wrongs of poor Blanche of Devan. They 
watch for thee by pass and fell — beware, — I die — 
farewell — " 

Fitz James saw the murdered girl die. 

" God be my help in time of need, for I shall wreak 
vengeance for this crime upon Clan Alpine's Chief ! " 

Then taking" a tress of fair hair from the head of the 
dead girl, and blending it with that of the murdered 
bridegroom, he placed it on the side of his bonnet. 

" By Him whose word is truth, I swear, 
No other favor will I wear, 
Till this sad token I imbue, 
In the best blood of Roderick Dim." 



68 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

But hark ! what is the loud cry he hears ? The chase 
is up ! They seek Fitz-James, who, now driven from 
the known and guarded way, began anew his journey 
through copse and over cliff. Often he was obliged to 
change his path, driven back by stream and precipice. 
Fatigued, disheartened, and faint for want of food and 
loss of strength, he threw himself upon the turf. Like 
blood-hounds, the men of Roderick could be heard in 
their wild search for 6i the spy," as they named him who 
had slain Red Murdoch. The shout, the shrill whistle, 
could be plainly heard, and the knight knew to go 
farther into the forest would be but to fall into the 
hands of the enemy. 

The shades of night fell fast, and hid the form of 
the wanderer from the watchful eye of the foe. When 
the gloom covered his movements, with cautious step, he 
began again to climb the crags. Every breeze on the 
mountain benumbed his limbs. In dread, .in danger, 
famished, and chilled, he journeyed on, when suddenly 
upon turning a rocky point, he came upon a watch-fire 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 69 

brightly burning. Beside its clear, bright embers, 
wrapped in his plaid, lay a mountaineer who, springing 
from his warm bed, demanded : 

" Thy name and purpose ! Saxon, stand ! " 
" A stranger," replied the knight. 
" What dost thou require ? " 

" Rest, warmth, food, and a guide. My life is beset ; 
I have lost my way, and my limbs are stiff with cold." 
" Art thou a friend to Roderick Dhu?" 
"No." 

" Darest thou declare thyself his foe ? " 
" I dare ; to him, to you, and to all his band." 
" Your words are bold, Sir Knight, and whoever has 
said that you are a secret spy, has lied. No spy ever 
used such words as yours." 

" Lie they do, by heaven ! Set before me Roderick 
Dhu, with any of the two boldest of his men, and I 
will write the lie on their crest." 

" Enough, enough, sit down and share a soldier's bed, 
a soldier's fare. I see your spurs and belt, and by these 



70 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

tokens, I trust your honor, as you must mine. I am 
your host ; you are my guest." 

He then gave food, plain though it was. More fuel 
was thrown upon the fire, and the Saxon was invited to 
share the plaid of the mountaineer. In every respect 
the stranger was made welcome. 

" Bold Knight, I am to Roderick Dim clansman and 
kinsman. Each word spoken against his honor demands 
from me redress. Yet more, — upon thy fate will 
depend the issue of the impending battle. You are a 
Saxon, and I of Clan Alpine. When war was declared, 
an augur was consulted, and the fateful words pro- 
nounced by him were : 

" Which spills the foremost foeman's life, 
That party conquers in the strife." 

Were I now to wind my horn, men from my clan 
would quickly overpower you ; or I might command you 
to rise worn as you are by fatigue and defend yourself, 
sword to sword. But, no ! not for clan or kindred will 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 71 

I depart from honor's laws. To assail a wearied foe 
were shame, and the word " stranger " is sacred. In 
that name you asked food, fire, rest, and guidance. 
Rest till dawn, when I. will in safety conduct you 
beyond the lines of Clan Alpine. There, at Coilan- 
togle Ford, you must draw sword and fight for your 
king, as I will for my chief. 1 ' 

" Your courtesy is accepted as freely as it is given." 

With this agreement for the morrow, the two foemen 

lay down peacefully side by side like brothers, and slept 

till the morning light was shed upon mountain and 

stream. 



CHAPTER VII. 

The red light of the morning- sun roused the warriors. 
The fire was stirred, the rude meal eaten. Throwing 
his plaid gracefully about him, the Gael, true to his prom- 
ise, led the way to the Ford. By thicket green, by moun- 
tain gray, they wound along the brow of the precipice, 
which commanded the rich scenes beneath. They saw 
the windings of the Forth and of the Teith, and all the 
valley that lies between. Fitz-James with tender glance 
saw far awa}^ the turrets of Stirling Castle. 

At length they came where the mountain is most 
stern and steep. Here ^ennachar winds its silver stream 
and Benledi rises ridge on ridge. The path became so 
narrow and dangerous, that the guide slackened his 
pace and led slowly through the jaws of the pass. 
Turning to his companion, he asked by what strange 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 73 

accident he had attempted to cross these wilds without 
a pass from Roderick, the Chief of the Highlands. 

" Brave Gael, my pass, in danger tried, hangs at my 
belt. Three days since, however, when I came here in 
search of game, all seemed as peaceful as the mist 
slumbering on yonder hill." 

'•Yet why didst thou come a second time to these 
grounds? " 

"Are you a warrior, and ask me why? Slight cause 
will often draw the step of a knight. A falcon lost, a 
greyhound strayed, danger itself is often cause enough." 

" Keep thy secret,— I urge thee not. But hast thou 
not heard of the Lowland war, led by the Earl of Mar?" 

"No! By my word of honor. I had heard that 
bands were prepared to guard the sports of King James, 
yet, I doubt not that when they hear of the rising of 
Clan Alpine, their pennons will be flung to the breeze." 

" Free be they flung ! Too long have their silken 
folds been food for moth, and just as free will float the 
pine plume of Vich Alpine. But, stranger, since you 



74 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

came into this land a peaceful gamester, why are you 
now the avowed foe of Roderick Dhu ? " 

"But y ester-noon, I knew naught of thy Chieftain, 
save as an outlaw and desperate man, who in Holy Rood 
Castle, in the sight of his regent, ran a dagger through 
the heart of a belted knight." 

At these words the brow of the guide grew dark, and 
pausing a moment he asked : 

" And heardest thou why ? Heardst thou the shame- 
ful word and blow that called forth the vengeance of 
Roderick Dhu ? A man should right a wrong where it 
is received, though that were in the courts of Heaven." 

" What thinkest thou then of thy Chieftain's life, 
wrenching from every Lowlander his cattle and his 
grain ? You are too noble not to scorn foray such as 
this." 

The Gael glanced darkly at his companion, and said : 

" Saxon, dare you to me, a Highlander, speak of plun- 
der and robbery ? Who drove the poor Gael to the 
Highlands ? Who pent men, women and children in 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 



the fortresses of these mountain fastnesses ? The Sax- 
ons were robbers, before the founders of the family of 
Roderick Dim had ever seen the light of day. Talk 
not to me of Saxon honor. Is it wrong to spoil the 
spoiler, to wrest prey from a highwayman ? The moun- 
tain chiefs, the noble Gaels, fight only for land taken by 
the dishonorable Saxon. Sir Knight, seek other cause 
against Roderick Dhu." 

" Let it pass ; I will not now seek fresh cause for 
enmity, to cloud thy brow. Let it be enough that I 
have promised to fight thee hand to hand at Coilantogle 
Ford. Twice have I sought Clan Alpine's Glen in 
peace ; but when I come again it shall be as the leader 
of his foe. I shall never rest, until I stand before 
the rebel Chieftain and his band." 

" Have now thy wish ! " He whistled shrill, and the 
signal flew from crag to crag. In a moment they were 
surrounded by Vich Alpine's host. On the right, on 
the left, above, below, through copse and heath, the 
spear glistened, the bow was bent. That whistle had 



76 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

garrisoned the glen. With step and weapon forward 
flung, warriors covered the mountain side. 

The mountaineer cast one glance of pride upon his 
hosts, then turning to his prisoner said : 

" These are Clan Alpine's warriors true, 
And Saxon, — I am Roderick Dhu." 

Fitz-James as bravely returned the proud glance, and 
placing his back against an overhanging rock replied : 

" Come one, come all ! this rock shall fly 
From its firm base as soon as I." 

Roderick loved " a foeman worthy of his steel," and at 
the attitude of his foe, respect was mingled with a 
surprise amounting to awe. Suddenly he raised his 
hand, gave a signal, and the troops vanished as mysteri- 
ously as they had appeared. 

" Fear naught," said the Chief, '' thou art my guest 
until we reach Coilantogde Ford. I would not call a 
clansman's sword to my aid, were the combat to give me 
every rood of land stolen by Saxon churls. I wished 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 77 

merely to show how completely you are at the mercy of 
Roderick Dhu." 

The Chieftain and his companion again strode on in 
silence. They were in that part of the Trosachs made 
beautiful by Loch Vennachar, the lowest and most 
eastern of the three lakes, whose waters sweep through 
Bochastle moor. Soon they reached the Ford of 
Coilantogle. Roderick here threw off his plaid and 
down his targe, saying to the Lowlander : 

" Bold Saxon, Vich Alpine has been true to his trust. 
That murderous Chief, that ruthless wretch, that head of 
a rebellious clan, hath led thee safe far beyond Clan 
Alpine's bounds. You stand on Lowland soil, while I am 
in the land of the enemy, armed like yourself with a 
single brand, — this is Coilantogle Ford. 

" Now man to man, and steel to steel, 
That Chieftains vengeance you must feel." 

The Saxon proudly replied : 

" Never have I hesitated to draw my blade upon a foe, 



78 THE LADY OF THE LAKE 

and I have sworn to bathe my sword in your blood ; yet 
you have shown fair and generous faith, you have spared 
my life when surrounded by your warriors. Can naught 
but blood blot out this feud ? Is there no other means?" 
" No, stranger, none ! To warm your flagging zeal, 
let me remind you again that the Saxon cause hangs on 
this combat. As I have said, the Fates when consulted 
replied through their prophet : 

" Who spills the foremost foeman's life, 
His party conquers in the strife." 

" Then, by my word," answered the Saxon, " the 
riddle is already solved. Far back in the bracken, Red 
Murdoch lies stark and stiff, slain by my hand. Let us 
not fight here. Let us go to James, the King, at Stirling 
Castle, and I pledge my word that he will grant grace 
and favor. He will restore thee to thy native lands and 
aid in their defence." 

" Coward, because you slew a wretched kern, do you 
presume to offer the king's protection to Roderick Dhu ? 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 79 

You add fuel to the fire of my burning hatred. I brand 
thee a vain carpet knight, whose best boast is to wear a 
tress of lady's hair." 

" I thank thee, Roderick, for the taunt. I have sworn 
by the hand of her you wronged, by the hand of 
the dying Blanche of Devan, whose husband you mur- 
dered, to stain that braid in thy life blood. Now truce, 
farewell ! Now ruth, begone ! We will meet hilt to hilt." 

Each drew his sword ; each threw the scabbard on the 
turf ; each glanced at plain and stream as if looking his 
last ; then with foot, and point, and eye opposed, the 
Gael and Saxon joined in what proved to be a deadly 
and unequal combat. Fitz-James had been trained in 
the use of the sword, which to him was both blade and 
shield. He knew its every art, — to thrust, to strike, to 
feint, to guard, — while Roderick, though much the 
stronger, fared ill. He missed his favorite weapon, 
the Gaelic targe, and its brazen studs. In wild rage, 
he showered blow upon blow, but his opponent foiled 
each attack, and thrice did the Saxon sword draw Gaelic 



80 THE LADY OF THE LAKE 

blood. The gushing stream dyed the Highland tartan, 
and Roderick felt the fatal drain. The steady skill of 
the practiced swordsman finally forced his enemy's 
brand from his grasp and backward bore the Chieftain 
to the ground. 

" Now yield, or the warmest blood of thy body dyes 
my blade." 

" Thy threats, thy mercy, I defy," was the answer. 

With one last frantic effort he sprang at Fitz James's 
throat, locking his foe in his arms. The desperate arms 
and hands were like bars of steel, and down fell the 
foes. The Gael placed his knee on the breast of his 
enemy and drew a dagger. It gleamed a moment on 
high, then down came the blow ; but faint and dizzy 
from loss of blood, the Chief, whose brain and eye had 
never sent an erring blow, missed his mark, and drove 
the blade into the mountain heath. Fitz- James 
un wounded felt the relaxing grasp of his dying foe. 

Glancing at his victim, and seeing his need of assist- 
ance, he blew a bugle blast. Soon faint and afar 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 81 

were heard hurrying' hoofs. The sounds increased and 
there appeared four mounted squires in Lincoln green. 
Each held on his course until he drew rein at the 
bloody spot, and in horror turned to Fitz-James for 
explanation. 

" Exclaim not ! Question not ! Dismount and bind 
the wounds of yonder Chief. Let the gray palfrey, 
which I had hoped would bear a fairer burden, carry 
him to Stirling Castle. I will dash on before, as I must 
be present at the Castle at noon, when the archer's 
games take place. Stand, my noble steed, stand ! " 

With arching neck, bending head, and quivering ear, 
as if he loved to be commanded by so royal a master, 
the beautiful creature obeyed. Springing lightly into 
the saddle, regardless of stirrup or pommel, the rider sat 
erect and proud, then like an arrow from a bow, away 
flew horse and man, along the Teith side, across the 
Forth, leaving many a town, many a castle behind, until 
the gray towers, and the town of Stirling, lay before 
them. 



82 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

As James dashed up the steep path that led to the 
Castle, he reined his steed, and looked steadily at a 
figure, tall and stately, but poorly clad, toiling town- 
ward up the rocky way. Calling his squire, DeVaux, 
to his side the knight asked : 

" See you the woodman who with firm and active step 
climbs the mountain side ? Knowest thou who or from 
whence he is ? " 

" No, my lord ; but he seems one to grace the train 
of a kino-, in field or chase." 

" DeVaux, that step, that stately form, belongs to 
one alone. Its like is not seen in all Scotland. It is 
James of Douglas, uncle of the banished earl. The 
king must stand upon his guard. If he is to meet a 
Douglas, it must be when well prepared. Let us turn 
and enter the castle by the postern." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

After leaving; Goblin's Cave, Douglas had ffone to 
Cambus— Kenneth. Here he made a solemn compact 
with the Abbess of Cambus that in case of his death the 
Lady Ellen should be received and made a bride for 
Heaven. He then bent his steps to Stirling Castle, to 
surrender himself to the king, and with his own life to 
ransom that of Malcolm Graeme, who was held a 
prisoner by the king. 

Arriving as the burghers were about to begin the 
sports of the day, Douglas resolved to take part, and to 
display the old skill that in happier days had called 
forth the childish wonder, love, and praise of James Fitz- 
James. 

At noon the castle gates stood wide open ; the draw- 
bridge rocked, quivered, and echoed to the tread of 

83 



84 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

horsemen. With his nobles, King James rode through 
the streets, everywhere meeting with loud huzzas. He 
doffed his cap, and in saluting ladies bent to the bow of 
his saddle. Gravely he greeted each city sire, smiled 
and bowed to the crowd, that rent the air with " Long; 
live the Commons' King, King James ! " 

All however were not burghers. There were those in 
the train whose brows were dark and lowering, — nobles 
who barely restrained their pride, and who despised them- 
selves for forming part of the pageant. Many were 
nobles held in hostage, chiefs of banished clans, and 
they sadly thought of their own gray towers and 
waving woods. 

At the Castle Park, the merriment began. There 
were the Moorish dancers, with bells on their heels, and 
blades in their hands, wheeling in the mazy sport. 
Here Robin Hood and all his band, — Friar Tuck with 
quarterstaff and cowl, old Scathelock, Maid Marion, 
Scarlet, Mutch, and Little John, who challenged all at 
irchery. The prize, a silver dart, was to be given by 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 85 

the kino's own hand to the successful archer. Douglas 
entered the lists, sent his first shaft straight to the 
center, and with his second split the first in twain. 
Vainly he looked for some mark of recognition from 
the kino-, to whom in childhood he had been as a 
father. Cold and indifferent, the king gave the arrow 
as he would to the merest stranger, or lowest burgher. 

The second test was that of wrestling. The ring was 
cleared. Two, having vanquished all others, now 
demanded mightier foes. They called not in vain, for 
Douo-las entered and again was victor. Again the 
king was bound to award the trophy, a gold ring, and 
again coldly performed the duty. 

In the third contest, the hurling match, Douglas 
surpassed all others, pitching the rock a rood beyond 
the mark. The king scornfully tossed him the third 
prize, a purse of gold. Douglas just as scornfully 
opened it and tossed the contents to the crowd, that 
now began to carefully scan this proud victor, dark and 
gray. Whispers ran from mouth to mouth that it must 



86 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

be a Douglas. Each sire told his son of feats like this 
clone by James of Douglas, before his exile from his 
native land. The murmur rose to a clamor, but not a 
sound came from the king or his followers. Royal 
eyes disowned him, why then should courtiers endan- 
ger themselves. True they knew him well and once 
called it an honor to follow him in the chase ; they 
had sat at his board, they had found safety under his 
shield. 

The monarch saw the change in the mood of the 
commoners, and to turn the current of thought let 
loose a stag which two favorite greyhounds were to 
bring to bay. The venison was to be served as part 
of the feast. Lufra, Ellen's favorite greyhound, stand- 
ing at Douglas's side, darted forth, leaving the royal 
greyhounds far behind. She was the fleetest hound in 
all the North, and dashing upon the antlered prey, 
buried her teeth in its flank. The king's huntsman 
saw the strange intruder take the prey from the king's 
hounds, and with his lash struck the noble hound. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 87 



Douglas had borne the king's cold look, the scorn of 
nobles, and the pity of commoners, but to see Lufra 
beaten, Lufra that Ellen loved, and that had loved and 
guarded Ellen many a day and night, was more than 
heart could bear. Dashing forward, with one blow he 
laid the minion of the king senseless on the ground, as 
if struck by a hand gauntleted in steel. 

Now up rode the noble train brandishing their swords. 
But loud and clear the warning came, " Back, back, 
minions, menials, all ! Beware the Douglas ! King- 
James, near and far have you vainly sought me since a 
price was set upon my head. I am here, — a willing 
captive, — here only to crave mercy for my friends." 

" You have ill repaid my clemency, presumptuous 
lord ! Of thy proud ambitious clan, thou, James 
of Bothwell, art the only man my mercy spared. 
No longer will I bear thy haughty look. What ! Ho ! 
Captain of the Guard ! Give this offender fitting pris- 
oner's quarters. Break off the sports, disperse the 
crowd ! " 



88 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

A tumult had arisen, and the yeomen began to bend 
their bows in defence 1 of Douglas. The horsemen rode 
into the crowd. The women shrieked, the timid fled, 
and the hardier urged war at once ; but royal spears sur- 
rounded Douglas, to bear him to the castle dungeon. 
This the rabble saw and raised a disordered roar. With 
grief the last of the line of the Bleeding Heart saw the 
Commons rise against the law. Turning to the knight 
who most closely guarded him, Douglas exclaimed : 

ik Sir John of Hyndford, it was my good sword that 
dubbed thee Knight ; for that deed, allow me a word with 
these misguided men." Turning, he addressed the mob : 

" Good friends, break no bond of fealty for Douglas. 
My life, my honor, my cause, I freely tender for the 
good of Scotland. Are her laws so weak that you must 
measure out justice? If I suffer wrong, am I so selfish, 
is my sense of public weal so low, that for vengeance I 
unbind the cords that knit me to my king and to my 
country ? No, it will not soothe me in yonder tower 
to know that spears have been dyed in blood, wives 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 89 

made widows, and children fatherless, to avenge my 
wrong-." 

With lifted hands and eyes, the throng poured bless- 
ings on the defenceless head of him who prized the laws 
of his country more than his own life. Mothers held 
their babes on high, that they might see the noble 
Douglas. Even the rough jailer, with trailing arms and 
bowed head, followed rather than led the prisoner to his 
cell. 

The offended monarch refused to ride again through 
the public street, but apart and filled with bitter 
thoughts sought the castle by a retired path. The 
fickle mob, now true, now false, could be heard in loud 
acclaim for James of Bothwell, for Earl of Angus ! 
With like acclaim the vulgar throat had cried for James 
Fitz-James, when he broke the sway of Douglas. 
To-morrow the cry would be for Douglas, could they 
hurl the king" from his throne. Listening to the com- 
mon herd, fierce and frenzied, turning to Lennox his 
companion, the king exclaimed : 



90 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

" Oh ! many headed monster thing* ! 
Oh ! who would wish to be a king?" 

At this moment, there appeared in the distance 
mounted messengers, spurring on their panting steeds. 
Riding to meet them the king demanded : 

" What tidings from the Earl of Mar?" 

" He prays, my liege, that you will not ride forth 
from the castle, except with a strong guard. The out- 
lawed Chieftain, Roderick Dim, has summoned his rebel- 
lious clan to march against Stirling Castle. John of 
Mar is fighting to-day to break up the muster, and long 
before this, there has been blood spilled in your defence." 

wi Retrace at once your steps ! Ride to the death ! 
Spare not your steed ; the best horse in Scotland shall 
replace it. Say to the Lord of Mar, that the king 
recalls his men. Roderick Dim was made prisoner this 
very morning, and Douglas has given himself up a 
prisoner. Bear the message ! Braco, fly ! The com- 
moners must not suffer for my feud, and suffer they 
will since Roderick, their leader, is lost." 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 91 

The messenger turned, buried his spurs in the flanks 
of his courser, and went flying' back to the field of battle, 
while the king returned to his castle. 

The gay feast and the lay of the minstrel fitted ill the 
mood of King James, therefore, upon his return, he dis- 
missed the courtly throng, and retired to his own apart- 
ments. Here, alone, he sat lost in sad retrospect. 

Upon the town sadness fell ; the burghers talked of 
civil war, of mountain feuds, of Douglas pent in prison 
walls. Many a sword was drawn, many an oath taken 
to avenge the wrong of the last of the " Bleeding 
Heart." As the night passed, horsemen returned bring- 
ing tidings of a battle fought between the men of 
Roderick, and those of King James under the Earl of 
Mar. 



CHAPTER IX. 

At dawn of the next clay the towers of Stirling Castle 
resounded with the soldier's step and the clang of 
weapons. The hall in which the Court of Guard had 
passed the night bore evidence of the character of the 
revellers. As the morning light struggled through the 
narrow loop-holes, or the barred casement, it fell upon 
faces made hideous by repeated nights of debauch. 
Bearded, haggard, and scarred, some sat at the great 
oaken table still trying to quench their thrrst ; some 
spread their hands before the dying embers in the huge 
chimney; some lay stupid upon the floor. Flowing- 
wine, overturned beakers, armor thrown here and there 
showed in what manner the night had been spent. 
Few assembled here were true Scotchmen ; none of them 
felt bound to the king; nearly all were adventurers 
drawn hither by the love of war. jg 



94 THE LADY OF THE LAKE 

Those able to do so talked of the battle at Loch 
Katrine ; but at length, all gave way to John of Brent, 
who demanded more wine and a soldier's song. While 
yet the ribald glee went on, the warder's challenge was 
heard. A soldier answered and announced old Bertram 
of Ghent, accompanied by an aged minstrel and a fair 
maid. "Bertram, what news?" the hoarse voices de- 
manded, as the Flemish soldier entered. 

" I only know that we fought from noon till eve ; on 
both sides lives were lost, and neither can claim success." 

"Whence these captives? Whence this glee- 
maiden and this old harper? 

" Get thee an ape and trudge the land, 
The leader of a juggler band." 

"Shame, comrade. Listen to me; after the battle this 
minstrel gray and this defenceless maid sought our line, 
and had audience with the Earl of Mar, who bade me 
bring them hither quickly and in safety. Forbear your 
mirth and rudeness. None shall do wrong to either 
while I am present." 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 95 

" Listen to his boasting," cried John of Brent. " Ho, 
comrades, are we to be cowed by an old Flemish 
dotard?" 

Bertram stepped quickly forward, and old Allan-Bane 
drew his dag 'Sfer in defence of the lovelv Ellen, who until 
this moment remained muffled in her plaid. At Allan's 
movement, fearing for his safety, Ellen boldly threw 
back her veil and stepped forward. The soldiers 
started amazed, — youthful beauty, womanly dignity, 
and queenly power held all silent and ashamed. 

Proudly she spoke : 

" Hear me, soldiers ! My father was ever the friend 
of him who drew sword in defence of the right. He has 
cheered the camp, led in the march, and bled in battle. 
To-day he is an exile. Surely, not from the valiant or 
the strong will danger come to his motherless child, now 
seeking the kino- to beg the life of a father." 

O OCT 

Brent, ever first in right or wrong, sprang forward and 
threw down his halberd before her. 

" Hear me, mates ! I go to call the captain of our 



96 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

watch. There lies my weapon, and he who steps over it 
to do the maiden harm will feel my arrow in his heart. 
No loose speech here, no rough jest. You all know 
John of Brent." 

The captain came at the call. His manner was gay, 
his mood light, and though controlled by courtesy, 
Ellen's dark eyes flashed at the familiarity of his words 
and manner. 

" Welcome, fair maid, to the towers of Stirling. You 
come as errant damosel of old, on white palfrey and 
attended by aged minstrel. Do you seek Champion, 
Knight, or Squire ? " 

After a moment of dignified silence, Ellen replied : 

" I have come here through scenes of sorrow and of 
blood, a suppliant for my father's life. I crave an 
audience with King James, and as warrant for my 
request, I present this royal signet, given to me by Fitz- 
James, and to him by your monarch." 

At sisfht of the ring;, the manner and tone of the 
young man changed as if by magic. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 97 

" This ring demands that I ask your pardon ! For- 
give me, if in word or look I have given offence. A 
lady-in-waiting shall conduct you to a fitting audience 
room, and at once the king shall be informed of your 
presence. Permit me to lead you hence." 

Before leaving the room, with the grace and open 
bounty of her noble family, Ellen turned the gold from 
her purse and ordered it to be divided among the 
guard. John of Brent refused the coin, but begged 
that he might wear the empty silken purse as a favor. 

When old Allan-Bane saw his fair charge safe, he 
turned to the hasty John and said, " Now that my lady 
is safe, may I beg a favor for myself ? May I be 
permitted to share the doom of my master ? I am his 
minstrel. For ten generations, my ancestors have waked 
the lyre in his halls. My harp has cheered his board, 
soothed his infant heir, and followed his dead. Let me, 
I pray, share his captivity." 

"Come, good old minstrel, follow me. You shall go to 
this lord and chieftain," and John of Brent led the way. 



98 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

They passed cell after cell, heard the moans of 
prisoners, the clang of fetters, saw the headsman's axe, 
the wheel, and many another instrument of death. At 
length they reached a door the bolt and chain of which 
was drawn by the burly John, who said : 

" Here you may stay till the leech visit the prisoner 
again. Take this torch and enter." 

Roused at the sound of the drawn bolt, the prisoner 
roused himself, and feebly raised his head. The won- 
dering minstrel looked and beheld, not his master, the 
noble Douglas, — but Roderick Dhu. As soon as the 
Chieftain recognized the minstrel, he wildly demanded : 

" What of my clan, — my mother, — thy Lady Ellen, — 
Douglas, — tell me all ! Speak, — speak boldly ! Who 
fought bravely ? Who fled ? Who died nobly? " 

"Oh, calm thee, Chief! Thy mother is well, — Ellen 
is safe. Thy clan never fought more bravely. The 
stately Pine of Clan Alpine is still unbent, though 
many a bough has fallen." 

Ghastly pale, the Chieftain sat erect. 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 99 

" Minstrel, describe to me the battle as you saw it. 
when my Clan met the Saxon. I will listen, and hear in 
fancy the clang of the sword and the clash of the spear. 
These gates, these prison bars will vanish, and 
dying here, my freed soul will burst away, as from the 
field of battle." 

The trembling bard obeyed the command of the 
dying man, and pictured the battle from onset to finish ; 
but at the words, 

" A herald's voice forbade the war, 
For Bothwell's lord and Roderick bold 
Were both now fast in captive hold," 

the prisoner's eye grew fixed, his hand clenched. 
Motionless and moanless, Roderick Dhu drew his last 
breath. When the old harper saw that life had fled, he 
poured out his sorrow in wailing lament. 

Lament. 

" And art thou cold and lowly laid, 
Thy foeman's dread, thy people's aid, 



100 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

Breadalbane's boast, Clan Alpine's shade ! 

For thee shall none a requiem say ? 

For thee, — who loved the minstrel's lay, 

For thee, — of Both well's house the stay, 

The shelter of her exiled line, 

Ev^en in this prison house of thine, 

I'll wail for Alpine's honored Pine ! " 

" What groans shall yonder valleys fill ! 
What shrieks of grief shall rend yon hill ! 
What tears of burning rage shall thrill, 
When mourns thy tribe, thy battles done, 
Thy fall before the race was won, 
Thy sword ungirt ere set of sun ! 
There breathes no clansman of thy line, 
But would have given his life for thine, — 
woe for Alpine's honor'd Pine ! 

" Sad was thy lot on mortal stage ! 
The captive thrush may brook the cage, 
The prison'd eagle dies for rage. 
Brave spirit, do not scorn my strain ! 
And when its notes awake again, 



The lady oe the lake. 101 

Even she, so long* beloved in vain, 
Shall with my harp her voice combine, 
And mix her woe and tears with mine, 
To wail Clan Alpine's honor'd Pine." 

Meanwhile, Ellen all unconscious of what was passing 
near, her heart bursting' with grief, sat alone in a stately 
hall. The soft sunlight fell through storied panes on 
richest tapestry. A bountiful collation was spread in 
vain. The banquet, the gay hall, scarce drew a glance. 
Her heart was in the lonely isle. She saw in contrast 
the simple morning meal, her father, — Malcolm Graeme, 
Lufra, and all the joys of free, careless life. But, 
Hark ! What sounds are these ! Cautiously Ellen 
drew near the open window, and listened to a well 
known voice» The song came softly and sadly from 
a near prison tower. 

Song. 

" My hawk is tired of perch and hood, 
My idle greyhound loathes his food, 
My horse is weary of his stall, 



1()v> THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

And I am sick of captive thrall. 
I wish I were as I have been, 
Hunting the hart in forest green, 
With bended bow and bloodhound free, 
For that's the life is meet for me. 

I hate to learn the ebb of time, 
From yon dull steeple's drowsy chime, 
Or mark it as the sunbeams crawl, 
Inch after inch, along the wall. 
The lark was wont my matins ring, 
The sable rook my vespers sing. 
These towers although a king's they be 
Have not a hall of joy for me. 

No more at dawning; morn I rise 
And sun myself in Ellen's eyes, 
Drive the fleet deer the forest through, 
And homeward wend with evening dew ; 
A blithesome welcome blithely met 
And lay my trophies at her feet, 
While fled the eve on wing of glee ; 
That life is lost to love and me." 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 103 

Ellen recognized the voice of her lover, Malcolm ; the 
sono- of the heart-sick prisoner, was scarce finished 
when, hearing a light stir, Ellen turned to behold, — the 
Knight of Snowdoun ! 

u Oh, welcome, brave Fitz-James ! How may an 
almost orphan maid repay, — " 

" Say not so, — to me you owe no gratitude. Tt is 
not mine to give thee the life of thy noble father. I 
can but be thy guide to the King of Scotland. Come, 
Ellen, come. It is more than time that we were there. 
He holds to-day a morning court." 

Trembling, she clung to his arm as to that of a 
brother. Gently he spoke words of hope to cheer her 
aching heart, and gently led her through hall and 
gallery, until at bis command wide were thrown the 
broad doors opening into the royal audience room. 

The brilliant hall glowed before Ellen's dazzled sight, 
and the stately knights and queenly dames, sent her 
gaze drooping to the floor. Closely she still clung to 
the one friendly arm, then raised her eyes in vain search 



104 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

for the king, — for him who held in his hand her father's 
and her lover's life. She scanned each courtly knight, 
but all stood with bared head. Fitz-James alone wore 
cap and plume. Amidst robes of velvet and fur, silk 
and satin, and jewels, he stood in simple Lincoln green, 

" The centre of a glittering ring, 
For Snowdoun's knight is Scotland's King. 

Was it possible that she leaned on the arm of her 
father's enemy ! 

When the full truth dawned upon her, she sank to the 
floor. 

" As wreath of snow on mountain breast 
Slides from the rock that gave it rest, 
Poor Ellen glided from her stay 
And at the monarch's feet she lay." 

Gently the king drew her again to his side, checked 
by a glance of disdain the smile about to pass around 
the court, and gravely kissed her brow. Then address- 
ing her said, to the astonishment of all : 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 105 



" Yes, fair Lady Ellen Douglas, my foster sister, the 
poor wandering James Fitz-James is Scotland's King, 
and he will redeem his signet. You need ask naught 
for your noble father. Yester eve I calmly heard and 
judged his case. The death-feud is sealed, and hence- 
forth James of Douglas, Bothwell's Lord, thy father, 
shall be the friend and bulwark of my throne. Ho ! 
Douglas ! Come, confirm my word." 

Forth sprang the waiting father, and the daughter 
was folded in his arms. The sweetest sense of power is 
known only when employed in making others happy. 
This joy was the monarch's when he saw the exiled 
father united to the heart-broken daughter, in the palace 
of their king. Coming forward, James exclaimed : 

" Nay, Douglas, steal not away my fair suppliant ! 
She still holds the little golden talisman, pledge of my 
faith. Fair Ellen, have you no other favor you would 
ask of your king ? " 

Full well Ellen knew that he referred to the im- 
prisoned Grseme ; but her generous heart would not let 



1U6 THE LADY OF THE LAKE. 

her ask for Malcolm's liberty, while Roderick, friendless 
and alone, was still under the king's ban, and in sweetest 
words she begged grace for the Chieftain of Clan 
Alpine. Gravely he replied : 

u I would give my fairest earldom to see that 
Chieftain live ; I have shared his bed, taken bread from 
his hand, and fought against his sword in mortal com- 
bat, but the King of Kings alone can give life to the 
dead. Hast thou no other boon to crave ? Is there no 
other prisoner to release? 1 ' 

With tearful eyes Ellen turned and gave the ring- 
to her father, asking him to beg liberty for Malcolm. 

" No, — no, — ' exclaimed King James, " now the 
talisman has lost its force, and justice must take its way. 
Malcolm Graeme come forth ! Kneel ! " 

Down dropped the young thane at the feet of his 
liege and guardian. 

" For thee, rash youth, no fair suppliant sues. 
Nurtured under my smile, you have proved false by 
concealing in your Clan, James of Douglas, an exile. I 



THE LADY OF THE LAKE. ]() 



now place you in chain and fetters, and give you into 
the keeping- of a warder." 

" A chain of gold the king unstrung, 
The links o'er Malcolm's neck he flung, 
Then gently drew the glittering band, 
And placed the links in Ellen's hand ! " 




Works by 
Sir Walter Scott 



Lady of the Lake 



With notes for school use. 
Boards, 30 cents; Cloth, 40 cents. 



Lay of the Last Minstrel 

Annotated. Paper, 10 cents; Cloth, 25 cents. 

Tales from Scott : Ivanhoe, Anne of Geir- 
erstein, and Marmion 

lllus. Boards, 40 cents; Cloth, 50 cents. 

Ivanhoe 

Abridged for use in schools. IUus. Price, 
Boards, 40 cents; Cloth, 50 cents. 

The necessary abridgments have been made without any 
alteration of words or sentences. 



The Talisman 

Abridged for use in schools. Illus. Price, 
Boards, 40 ceres; Cloth, 50 cents. 

Tales of a Grandfather 

Boards, 30 cents; Cloth, 40 cents. 



For Your Literature Class 



The Dog of Flanders 

A Christmas Story. By Louisa De la Rame- 

Edited for use in schools by S. D. Jenkins. 
Boards, 30 cents ; Cloth, 40 cents. 

This is one of the most charming little supple- 
mentary readers of the year. It takes the child 
away from his own doorstep and sets him down in 
old Antwerp, in little Belgium. It is full of geog- 
raphy, nature study, child and animal life. Through 
it the little reader may live with the beautiful 
Flemish orphan boy, born in in poverty, but with a 
genius for art ; he may play, toil, and in imagination 
die with the noble dog Petrasche ; unconsciously 
he must draw from it lessons in morals and ethics, 
deep and permanent. The book is charmingly 
written, so that the thought is easily grasped. 

Black Beauty 

By Anna Sewell. Illustrated. Paper, 10 cents; 
Cloth, 25 cents. The " Uncle Tom's Cabin" of 
the horse. 



EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY 

50 Bromfield St., Boston, Mass. 
NEW YORK CHICAGO SAN FRANCISCO 



1903 



